Panda FREE AntiVirus 18.0.5

https://www.neowin.net/news/panda-free-antivirus-1805-offline-installer

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Remark:   It is UNclear what the changes are from version 18.0.4.   For what it's worth, I'm still running 18.0.3 (or earlier) on my Panda-based systems.

WARNING:   Major Geeks is reporting that Panda now charges a monthly fee for its "free product" (after the first month of free usage).   If anyone can definitively confirm this, I will stop including mention of Panda as a free antivirus.

I removed all my Panda Free AVs about 6 months back, not from any dissatisfaction, but to simplify my security. I was always satisfied with Panda Free. (Well, most of the time).

So I went to Panda's website, and sure enough I could find no download for the Free AV. Only downloads for various levels of paid Panda versions. Curious that the website Home Page flogs the virtues of Panda Free AV (plastered all over the page) but only directs to paid versions.

So I checked the Panda support forum, and found that the latest version of Panda Free (codenamed "Dome", version 18.05) is actually available, but the Panda website is not yet offering it. A Panda forum moderator directed users to download from:
http://acs.pandasoftware.com/Panda/FREEAV/190612/FREEAV.exe

So I downloaded from there,and installed it on my Win 10 laptop. I saw no indication that it was not entirely free. I will use it for a few months, and report back any attempts to change to a paid subscription. As before, I had to uncheck the pre-checked options to install some unwanted piggy-backed software from Panda during the installation.

My biggest problem with this latest GUI is that Clicking on the "Update Now" bar takes you to an "Upgrade" page, which offers paid versions to purchase. I always thought that updates were different from upgrades, but marketing practises never surprise me these days.

More from the support forum:
http://support.pandasecurity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=6654&sid=e7b3770ab791b878c392d249c2a8050b

Joe wrote:  I removed all my Panda Free AVs about 6 months back... to simplify my security.

Could you elaborate?   By "simplify", did you mean going to Microsoft's Windows Defender, since it is the "default" anti-virus on Window 8/10?   Or something else??

For what it's worth, the version(s) of Panda I'm still using 18.0.(1/2/3) --- all "pre-DOME" --- are indeed free.   I've been using these for many months (more likely over a year).  The change log does not indicate any differences between these, and the newer/DOME versions.   As such, I am keeping the older versions until either 1) Panda induces a forced upgrade to the newer version, 2) I discover there are significant security improvements implemented in the newer versions, or 3) Joe [or others] confirm that DOME is still fully-free [rather than subscription based].

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@ky331wrote:

   By "simplify", did you mean going to Microsoft's Windows Defender, since it is the "default" anti-virus on Window 8/10?   Or something else??

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My decision to simplify my security was predicated on the general computing rule "Don't use 2 programs to do the same thing (especially in real-time) to avoid conflicts". For years I have had several copies of lifetime licenses (no annual fee) of MBAM Pro, that I always ran as an anti-malware supplement in real-time along with my  various resident anti-viruses, with nary any conflicts. With the release of Malwarebytes 3.0 (MB3), which claimed to add  full AV functionality, I was initially skeptical. But both Panda Free AV and MB3 coexisted on my Win 10 for over one year with no problems.

To make a long story short, I decided about 6 months ago to see how MB3 Premium performed as my only resident AV/anti-malware protection for Win 10, and uninstalled Panda Free v. 18.03. I also disabled Windows Defender. After 6 months, no problems on this Win 10 laptop I use daily for everything but work.

All that said, I must add that I use MB3 Premium on all my PCs because of its track record as a malware remover, and because I was able to purchase lifetime licenses many years ago for a one-time ridiculously low fee. MB3's efficacy at protection has not been tested at independent websites. I do not recommend it as superior to certain current free protection from Avast!, Panda, Kaspersky Free or Windows Defender/MSE. If I did not already own lifetime licenses of MB3, I doubt I would pay a yearly fee for its real-time protection.

All I can really say is that MB3 Premium (by itself) was at least as good as the free AVs from Avast, MS, Kaspersky and Panda in keeping me free from malware. I suspect it may be better. As always, YMMV.

Panda's website once again now offers Panda Free alone (and compares its features to the paid versions:

https://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/free-antivirus/

Dale,

1) The occasional popups from avast to "upgrade" are probably trying to offer you a PAID/premium version, rather than merely a newer version of the free program.   Be very careful what you click-on, and to read everything before accepting an "upgrade".

2) I'm also using the older MBAM 2.x on most of my systems.   It's still getting definition/data updates (but no newer 2.x-version updates), and seems to be working.   Like you, I'm also concerned about the possibility that my lifetime license may get "overlooked" in the upgrade process.   I'm also running MBAE (Anti-Exploit) separately, and know that MBAM 3 will uninstall the separate MBAE to "incorporate" AE into MBAM3.   And there's probably nothing wrong with that.   But, for the time being, I intend to keep the older, separate programs, until such time as MBAM 2 no longer receives any more definition/data updates.

Still have Panda AV version 18.01.00 on my Win7 desktop, but still get occasional request pop-ups to "upgrade". .

I also have MBAM 2.2.1.1043 and both these programs seem to work fine. Just wonder if I should poke my head out of my safety shell and up grade both programs. Apparently the kinks have been worked out of MB3. I am concerned that my lifetime free MBAM Pro might get lost in yet another shuffle.

Dale,

Just to let you know, I finally felt "brave", and have updated MBAM from v2.x to v3.x on both my Primary (Win7x64) and Tertiary (32-bit WinXP) systems.   In both cases, it appears my lifetime licenses were properly carried-over (in Win7, where I had a license to both MBAM2 and MBAE, it kept the MBAM2 license... in WinXP, where I was running only an MBAE license, it kept that one).   Both are now PREMIUM (rather than TRIAL), with a license status that "never expires".  

It's really still too early to say anything about the overall impact on my system, other than that in terms of bootup, the desktop on my Win7 seems to be appearing much faster now than it had been before the update.

Just an update, as promised, on the Panda Dome free AV, after 3+ months of use on Win 10 Pro.

1) It remained free at all times. At no time did it suggest upgrading to a paid version. In fact, I don't recall any prompts to upgrade.

2) It played well with MB3, which also was protecting in real-time as an AV. This goes against the grain of conventional wisdom, which suggests using only one AV in real-time, to prevent conflicts. My experience using both Win 7 and Win 10 confirms the claims of Malwarebytes, that MB3 AV is in fact compatable with other AVs in real-time. I have used MB3 Premium AV with Panda Free, Sophos Home, and Kaspersky Free AVs without conflicts seen.

3) I never did a review on Panda Dome free AV. Suffice it to say that after several months of use, it has given me no grief. It found no false positives, ran quick scans, and generated no errors. Its GUI was intuitive.

In short, I continue to recommend Panda Dome AV free, along with free AVs from Microsoft (Windows Defender and MSE), Avast, Sophos, and Kaspersky in providing equivalent protection to paid counterparts.

As always, YMMV.

Just as a heads-up, I've noticed that Panda is automatically updating itself (on at least some systems) to Dome version 18.6...